Third Way Dispatch

The Candidate Training that is described in Sharon’s post has garnered some attention.

The premier political tipsheets all covered it – it was the lead (or lede) item in ABC’s The Note on Thursday, and it’s been covered in CNN’s Morning Grind. The April 5 edition of the Hotline (subscription only) covered the press conference held at the end of the DSCC training:

“At a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee briefing announcing the poll, three Dem Senate candidates, Bob Casey of PA, Rep. Sherrod Brown of OH and Jim Pederson of AZ, previewed the party’s national security message. One word: competence. As in: the Bush administration is not. Two more words: “tough and smart” as in—that’s what the Democrats are.

There was also a great story in CQ.

And it’s great to see that that the candidates themselves are starting to use the material:

The Crawfordsville Journal-Review said candidate Rick Cornstuble told the audience that the U.S. needs to have a foreign policy that is tough and smart.

Ohio candidate Zack Space is quoted in his local paper as saying: “Contrary to Mr. Ney’s declaration, I am a strong advocate for 2nd Amendment rights, I oppose late term abortions, I favor tax cuts for the middle class instead of the wealthy, I believe in an approach to the war on terror that is both tough and smart…”

And Paul Aronsohn, running in NJ, said in an April 7 press release: “When I am elected to Congress, I will fight for greater oversight and accountability. I will fight for a tough and smart approach to national security issues. And I will give the people of New Jersey’s 5th District something that they have not had in years – real representation and real leadership.”